Chapter 5

Sage got ready to sleep, but as she laid down on her comfortable bed, she couldn't fall asleep. Normally, she would have collapsed into a deep, contented sleep, but tonight was different. Sighing, she quietly got out of bed and went down to the common room. She sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, hoping the warmth would make her drowsy. After ten minutes, however, she was still wide awake. Sage stared into the fireplace, mesmerized by the flames. She heard the sound of bare feet coming down the stairs and looked up. It was George Weasley.

"Oh, hello," he said, looking surprised. "Couldn't sleep?" Sage shrugged. George gestured at the spot next to her on the sofa and asked her, "Mind if I sit?" Sage shook her head and George sat down. They sat together in silence for a moment, staring at the flames.

"So, what's your name?" George asked her.

"Sage. Sage Olliver," she said. With a worried look on her face, she asked, "Uhm, do you guys hate me for today?" George grinned and shook his head.

"We can appreciate a good joke, y'know," George said. "You have our complete respect. Fred even called what you did 'genius'!" Sage's jaw dropped. She didn't think the twins would let it go so easily. Surprised, she could only ask, "Really?" George nodded. Just then, the fire popped, startling Sage and making her jump. George laughed. Sage frowned and hit him.

"That wasn't funny!" she exclaimed. George continued to laugh, so Sage got up, annoyed. She was surprised that she had gotten annoyed so easily. She decided it must be because she was a little grumpy that she couldn't get to sleep. George grabbed her wrist.

"I didn't mean to laugh so much. The look on your face was just really funny," apologized George. Sage's face softened and she sat back down.

"Sorry. I think I got annoyed because I'm starting to get a little tired," she said, a small smile on her face.

"It's okay. Are you going to go to your dormitory?" he asked, hoping she would stay a little longer. Sage shrugged.

"I should, since classes start tomorrow," said Sage. She didn't notice George's face fall a little. She kept talking, "But I'm not all that tired. Are you?"

"No, I'm fine. The guys snore too loudly sometimes, so I'll probably end up falling asleep here. It wouldn't be the first time I did that," said George. Sage nodded.

"I guess all I can do is wait until I get tired," said Sage, "Although that might not be for a while." George grinned.

"At least you've got me to keep you company!" he exclaimed, winking. Sage smiled.

"Yeah, thank goodness for that," she said, sarcastically. George pretended to look hurt, and laughed together. Sage stifled a big yawn. George raised his eyebrows.

"Maybe you should go sleep," he said, struggling to contain a yawn of his own. Sage shook her head.

"I'm not all that tired," she said. However, staring into the fire, her eyelids started to grow heavy.

"On second thought, maybe I am tired," Sage said, frowning. "But I'm not sure I can get up all those stairs." Exhaustion started to work its way through her body. She stifled another yawn. The warmth radiating from the fire enveloped her in its cozy embrace. Sage didn't know why such exhaustion hit her so hard all of a sudden, but she was too tired to care. Almost against her will, she started to fall asleep on the couch. George shook her awake.

"You should go up to the dormitory and sleep," he said gently. Sage groaned, but got to her feet anyways. Saying goodnight to George, she shuffled up to the girls' dormitory, exhausted. After Sage left, George sat staring into the fire. He regretted sending her up. He didn't like being alone. George wondered what would have happened if he told her to stay, if he had told her to sleep on the couch while he sat on one of the armchairs.

George shook his head. It wasn't like him to fall for girls he barely knew. This girl was beautiful, but he knew nothing about her, other than her name. He sighed and pushed all thoughts of Sage out of his mind. Getting up, he went back up to the boys' dormitory, determined to get a few hours of sleep.